But When I Remember, I Remember Something Strange
by planetofmars
Summary: One of the ways I imagined their first kiss.


But When I Remember, I Remember Something Strange

There is much to be done. There are sheets to be changed, the guest room to be set up. The fridge needed to be stocked, and dinner started. The carpets vacuumed, and the tile swept and mopped. The living room dusted, laundry washed, and bathrooms cleaned.

Derek needed help, and fast. Derek's mother and two sister's were due to arrive this very evening, and nothing had been done. The troubled man had no one to blame but himself, and his abnormal love of sleeping in on Sunday mornings. Derek could not call Penelope, she was busy making a flamboyant cake for the occasion. Arron had to pick up Jack on the other side of town before he could stop by. JJ and Will were picking up decorations, Dave and Emily were heading to the airport to get the three women, and Spencer...

Derek picked up his cellphone, staring down at the number on the screen. What did Spencer do on his days off? Derek had no time to wonder, and pressed the green button connecting him to his only lifeline. Spencer answered after three rings, and sounded...tired? Derek glanced to the clock embedded into his stove, and it read 12:15pm. "You there, Morgan?"

"Yeah, Kid. Are you just waking up?"

"Hmm? Oh, yeah."

"Well, since you've gotten your beauty sleep and all, mind coming over to give me a hand? I'm in way over my head," Derek questioned, but was basically pleading with the other man on the phone who went silent. "Kid, you there?"

"Uh, yeah? I mean, yes, I'll be there as quickly as I can."

There came a knock to the door, and Derek nearly sprung into flight to open it. Spencer waved awkwardly before stepping in, taking a look around, he began to laugh. Derek looked at him with an unamused face, but it quickly morphed into a smile. Derek was grateful for the help, and the company. Closing the door, Derek clapped his hands together. "Okay, let's get to work."

"You really didn't do anything, did you? This place is...messy, to say the least," Spencer spoke, something like teasing in his voice.

Derek grumbled something under his breath before asking Spencer to help him in the living room. Spencer vacuumed while Derek dusted, causing a coughing fit to unleash itself. Spencer laughed, choking partly due to the dust and partly due to his own amusement. Derek picked up a pillow before throwing it at the unsuspecting man, clunking him squarely on the side of his head. Spencer let out a yelp, and Derek went to the mans' side, checking to see if he was okay and trying to hold back a laugh.

"Would you like a coke?"

"That would be nice after you practically assaulted me!"

"You don't mind sharing with me, do you?" Derek questioned, and Spencer's wide eyes turned to slits as he stared hard at Derek.

"You did not."

"Oh, I did. You think I forgot about your little romance with what was her name, Lila?"

"It was_ not_ a romance, she kissed me."

"What, was it your first kiss? Come on, man."

"No, but it's not like you could do any better," Spencer replied, throwing the beige colored pillow back at Derek, hitting him in the stomach.

The two moved on, deciding that splitting up would get things done a lot faster, especially when Derek got a phone call from his mother, informing him that they would arrive in less than an hour and a half. Derek went to work on cleaning the guest bathroom, and Spencer on the guest room itself. There was something on Derek's mind, though. While Spencer might not have said what he did as a challenge, that was how Derek had taken it, and Derek never turned down a challenge. Ever.

The house is made up with no time to spare. Derek and Spencer nearly had a head on collision in the hallway, missing crashing into each other by mere inches. Spencer had rested his palms face down against Derek's chest, and Derek had one hand set on one of Spencer's narrow hips, and there it was: an instant connection that crackled through the air, and it both startled and excited. With a glint in his eye, Derek stepped away, letting Spencer ahead of him, watching him intently as he followed closely behind. Before more thought could be invested, his doorbell sounded.

"Baby!" Mama Morgan greeted cheerfully, but believe it or not, her hands enclosed around Spencer instead of Derek. The other man just stood there, dumbfounded and jealous that his mama had greeted Spencer first, but ultimately jubilant that she liked him so much.

"Hey, big head," Sara greeted, and Derek looked over his shoulder. "I know you're not talkin' to me like that!" Derek argued.

"Both of you stop it, you can fight tomorrow when we don't have guests," Derek's mother scolded, and her two grown children obeyed, Desiree laughing at their expense.

Penelope arrived with both Kevin and a beautiful cake in tow. Arron and Jack arrived shortly after, food in hand. Emily and David were already in the living room, and Spencer...well, Spencer was missing. Derek found him in the kitchen, taking a sip of the soda he had forgotten about earlier. The slender man grinned cheerfully at Derek as he approached, extending his hand and offering Derek a sip. Biting his lip, Derek accepted the kind gesture.

"Now all you have to do is get into a pool, and somehow let me take advantage of you," Derek joked, Spencer hitting him in his arm, and it sort of hurt.

"You're _so_ funny," Spencer sarcastically replied, aiming to move past Derek, but the other man stopped him with a simple touch of his hand.

"You know I tease you 'cause I care, right? I'm not being mean," Derek spoke, and really, before he had never given it a second thought. He was sure that Spencer knew his teasing wasn't meant to be harmful, but a sign of affection, but now, he felt aware of what he was saying to his friend and colleague, and did Spencer even consider them friends?

"Morgan? Derek, are you okay? I know you're just just joking," Spencer spoke concerned by Derek's question. Derek only smiled brightly at him. "I'm just fine. Great, even."

Spencer meant to question him further, but Mama Morgan had other plans. She was hungry, and determined that Spencer was far too skinny still for her liking, and should eat more. In fact, she had set three servings down in front of him before she was satisfied that he had had his helping. While the morning had been somewhat stressful and rushed, the afternoon and evening was spent with much enjoyment. Derek really couldn't be happier, but his thoughts still lingered.

"Okay, everyone! Now that you've all had a sample of my yummy cake, I demand a picture to remember this day, so everyone get close together!" Penelope gleefully announced, and there was no getting pass her. Mama Morgan, Desiree, and Sara were already sitting at the center of the table so everyone gathered around them.

Derek stood side by side with Spencer, as Dave stood to his right and Arron to Spencer's left. The camera began to blink, informing them they had five seconds to get ready, and by the fourth, Derek knew what it was he wanted to pose like. The flash was bright and quick, but no one payed much attention to it. With a wide grin, Derek felt this day had gone so much better than he could have ever imagined it to be. Within the hour, people began to disperse.

With a smile still plastered to his face, Derek bid his mother and two giggling sister's goodnight. With sparkling green eyes, Mama Morgan kissed her son upon his forehead like she did when he was a child.

The fact that tomorrow was Monday never crossed Derek's mind, because who wanted to think of tomorrow when today was perfection? With an easiness that had been missing, Derek laid down to sleep, resting snugly against his pillow for support. For the first time in along time Derek did something strange: he had a dream, and it was a strange one, and it was strange because it was so natural.

Of course it was about Spencer.

A man, who all by himself, was pretty strange, but there was more. There was this feeling, a stupid, little nudging feeling that Derek had to presume was complete and utter affection. A strange feeling known as love, one Derek hadn't experienced before, but it made so much sense, did it not? What he would do with it, he didn't know, but he felt content just having it. The knowledge that something so simple and yet so great resided within him, and he could tell what it was for what it was.

Three mornings later, and Derek was having to say goodbye to the people he loved most in life. With long hugs, and forced kisses, they were gone, on a plane to another state. Derek took a deep breath, it was hard watching them leave, and it was hard being here alone sometimes, but he wasn't exactly alone. No, he had a surrogate family. People who cared for him just as good as his immediate family.

Derek headed into the kitchen for something to make to eat when his eyes stumbled upon a photo posted on his fridge. Smiling, Derek studied the photo closely for things he had and hadn't noticed when the flash went off. Derek hadn't noticed the bunny ears Emily had made behind JJ's head, or how Kevin had his eyes closed. Derek hadn't noticed that Will had been mid sneeze, and Jack was barely able to lift his head high enough to be in the photo. Derek had noticed, however, that he had surprised Spencer with a heavy kiss to the mouth with a million people watching them.

Derek noticed that his mothers' mouth had been opened in the shape of an _O _as she had side glanced what he had been in the midst of doing. Desiree had nearly knocked over her glass of wine, and Sara looked as though she had been clapping her hands. Spencer, on the other hand, was completely caught off guard, but grinning against his lips. That was what Derek had remembered the most, the love and fun that surrounded them in something so new...and well, strange. Spencer was strange, and so was kissing him.

In the best possible way, of course.


End file.
